Tuesday, June 22, 2004

U.S. Prison Woes For Mentally Ill
CBS News story - "...The interaction of the U.S. law enforcement system with the mentally ill has grown dramatically, with increasingly tragic results — not to mention considerable expense to state and local governments. An estimated 16 percent of U.S. prison and jail inmates are mentally ill, compared to only 5 percent of the general population. A study by the U.S. Justice Department found nearly half the mentally ill inmates were imprisoned for a nonviolent crime. The mentally ill are more expensive to incarcerate, stay behind bars longer and return more frequently..."  
  

Advocates Praise Efforts to Address Criminalization of People with Mental Illnesses
US Newswire press release - "The Campaign for Mental Health Reform -- a national coalition representing people with mental illnesses, their families, mental health advocates and service providers -- today praised a Congressional hearing on legislation to address the growing numbers of people with mental illnesses in the criminal justice system. 'Far too many people with mental illnesses are ending up in our nation's jails and prisons,' said Ron Honberg, a spokesman for the Campaign for Mental Health Reform and national director of public policy and legal affairs at NAMI. 'Today's hearing underscores the urgent need for federal legislation to address this disturbing trend.' During the House Judiciary Committee's hearing today on "The Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act" (S. 1194, H.R. 2387), committee members will hear testimony from mental health advocates, family members, law enforcement officers and federal officials on the need to enact the bill, which the Senate passed in November of 2003."